Caged
by turtlesparadise
Summary: It's close quarters for Cloud and Reno when they are captured by an enemy of ShinRa, Inc., and held prisoner together, all while dealing with unresolved personal conflict between the two of them. Established CloudxReno pairing, may turn into a drabble series.
**It's close quarters for Cloud and Reno when they are captured by an enemy of ShinRa, Inc., and held prisoner together, all while dealing with unresolved personal conflict between the two of them. Established CloudxReno pairing, may turn into a drabble series.**

* * *

"Gods. What...happened?"

Cloud groaned as he came to, tried to tug his arms from where they'd been painfully bound behind his back. His head pounded as he took in his surroundings; wherever he was, it was old, dank, musty, and poorly lit, but large. A warehouse, perhaps, or some sort of factory or a processing facility - or a jail?

He heard a groan, a string of curses, and realized he was not alone. Of course, wasn't that just Cloud's luck - he was there. Cloud glowered at the redhead who'd been tied up the same way he had, the man who had gotten them into this mess in the first place by shooting off his mouth. That damned Turk who had gotten under his skin, and lately - into his bed - was in pretty rough shape, and Cloud had not very much sympathy for him.

It was all coming back to him now, just the night before. A drunken stumble out of Goblin's bar, and Cloud realized they were being pursued, though Reno, drunk out of his mind, decided he could hold his own with the gang. After consuming half a bottle of good Costan rum. They'd somehow gotten the jump on Cloud, hitting him with a powerful materia spell - though it was no normal materia, it had been tainted with...something. He felt it now, it wasn't poison, it was more of a presence within him.

Sephiroth, Cloud thought briefly, then shut his eyes, as if that would help to block it out.

"How's your hangover?" Cloud couldn't help but taunt the Turk as he opened his eyes, clearly in misery.

"I'm fine, thanks for asking, sweetheart," Reno said sourly, grunting loudly as he tugged at the ropes binding his hands. "Fuck! This sucks."

"Really, I hadn't noticed," Cloud said dryly. He looked around the room for his weapon, saw nothing. They must have taken it - whoever they were.

"Come on, Cloud," Reno grumbled. "We need to get out of here. How the hell did this happen, anyway?"

"This is all your fault," Cloud retorted. "Maybe if you weren't such an asshole - "

"And maybe if you weren't such a dick - " Reno countered, frowning.

"Shut up," Cloud shot back coldly. "I don't know why I keep letting you back into my life, anyway."

Reno gave a Cheshire cat grin at that. "Because you can't live without me, Cloud. 'Bout time you figured that out, yeah?"

"Shut up," Cloud repeated, a bit more softly this time. "Just - don't talk. Come on, can you get over here?" Cloud tried to stand and found he couldn't; his legs were duct-taped together, just as Reno's were.

"Yeah. Maybe - I can slide over on my butt. Try to meet halfway - " Reno began wriggling and Cloud nodded, mimicking the Turk's movements as he began scooting across the room. As his eyes adjusted to the light, Cloud squinted, and groaned as he realized exactly where they were.

"Oh shit," Cloud muttered, jerking his head to the right. "Look over there - iron bars. We're in a cell."

"It doesn't look like a jail, though..." Reno craned his head around, straining to take everything in, process it, figure out exactly where they were being held. It was unfamiliar territory for the Turk, and that bothered him; there wasn't much on the Planet that Reno was not familiar with. He sighed.

"If this is another fucking secret lab, I'm gonna kill someone," Reno muttered, and Cloud chuckled.

"Yeah, well. Your employer is well known for secret labs, aren't they?" He felt something clutch at his chest like icy fingers, tried to keep the tremor out of his voice and failed, memories of floating in mako, drowning..

Zack...Zack, Zack, Zack, get me out of here get me out of here I can't breathe -

"Cloud?" Reno's eyes widened as he saw Cloud's head fall and slump over to the side. He swore, spat a mouthful of blood onto the ground, and began inching over to Cloud on his belly like a worm. "Cloud! Shit...shit, shit, shit!"

This is all my fault, Reno thought, worry lining his face. He's right...it's all my fault. Again. "Gods. What...happened?"

Cloud groaned as he came to, tried to tug his arms from where they'd been painfully bound behind his back. His head pounded as he took in his surroundings; wherever he was, it was old, dank, musty, and poorly lit, but _large_. A warehouse, perhaps, or some sort of factory or a processing facility - or a jail?

He heard a groan, a string of curses, and realized he was not alone. Of course, wasn't that just Cloud's luck - _he_ was there. Cloud glowered at the redhead who'd been tied up the same way he had, the man who had gotten them _into_ this mess in the first place by shooting off his mouth. That damned Turk who had gotten under his skin, and lately - into his bed - was in pretty rough shape, and Cloud had not very much sympathy for him.

It was all coming back to him now, just the night before. A drunken stumble out of Goblin's bar, and Cloud realized they were being pursued, though Reno, drunk out of his mind, decided he could hold his own with the gang. After consuming half a bottle of good Costan rum. They'd somehow gotten the jump on Cloud, hitting him with a powerful materia spell - though it was no normal materia, it had been tainted with...something. He felt it now, it wasn't poison, it was more of a presence within him.

 _Sephiroth,_ Cloud thought briefly, then shut his eyes, as if that would help to block it out.

"How's your hangover?" Cloud couldn't help but taunt the Turk as he opened his eyes, clearly in misery.

"I'm fine, thanks for asking, sweetheart," Reno said sourly, grunting loudly as he tugged at the ropes binding his hands. "Fuck! This sucks."

"Really, I hadn't noticed," Cloud said dryly. He looked around the room for his weapon, saw nothing. They must have taken it - whoever they were.

"Come on, Cloud," Reno grumbled. "We need to get out of here. How the hell did this happen, anyway?"

"This is all _your_ fault," Cloud retorted. "Maybe if you weren't such an _asshole_ \- "

"And maybe if _you_ weren't such a _dick_ \- " Reno countered, frowning.

"Shut up," Cloud shot back coldly. "I don't know why I keep letting you back into my life, anyway."

Reno gave a Cheshire cat grin at that. "Because you can't live without me, Cloud. 'Bout time you figured that out, yeah?"

" _Shut up_ ," Cloud repeated, a bit more softly this time. "Just - don't talk. Come on, can you get over here?" Cloud tried to stand and found he couldn't; his legs were duct-taped together, just as Reno's were.

"Yeah. Maybe - I can slide over on my butt. Try to meet halfway - " Reno began wriggling and Cloud nodded, mimicking the Turk's movements as he began scooting across the room. As his eyes adjusted to the light, Cloud squinted, and groaned as he realized exactly where they were.

"Oh shit," Cloud muttered, jerking his head to the right. "Look over there - iron bars. We're in a cell."

"It doesn't look like a jail, though..." Reno craned his head around, straining to take everything in, process it, figure out exactly where they were being held. It was unfamiliar territory for the Turk, and that bothered him; there wasn't much on the Planet that Reno was not familiar with. He sighed.

"If this is another fucking secret lab, I'm gonna kill someone," Reno muttered, and Cloud chuckled.

"Yeah, well. Your employer is well known for secret labs, aren't they?" He felt something clutch at his chest like icy fingers, tried to keep the tremor out of his voice and failed, memories of floating in mako, drowning..

 _Zack...Zack, Zack, Zack, get me out of here get me out of here I can't breathe -_

"Cloud?" Reno's eyes widened as he saw Cloud's head fall and slump over to the side. He swore, spat a mouthful of blood onto the ground, and began inching over to Cloud on his belly like a worm. " _Cloud_! Shit...shit, shit, shit!"

 _This is all my fault,_ Reno thought, worry lining his face. _He's right...it's all my fault. Again._


End file.
